THE PRESIDENTS’ GARDENS 145 
in Philadelphia who was collecting constantly and 
energetically, many things also were purchased; for in 
every part of his estate the General was keen for the 
latest and best. 
To William Pearce who came as superintendent of 
the place late in 1793, he expresses this feeling, 
especially in regard to tools and implements: “As I 
am never sparing (with proper seconomy) in furnish¬ 
ing my Farms with any, and every kind of Tool and 
Implement that is calculated to do good and neat work, 
I not only authorize you to bring the kind of ploughs 
you were speaking to me about, but any others the 
utility of which you have proved from your own ex¬ 
perience,—particularly a kind of hand rake which Mr. 
Stuart tells me are used on Eastern Shore of Maryland 
in lieu of Hoes for Corn at a certain state of its growth 
—and a Scythe and Cradle different from those used 
with us, and with which the grain is laid much better. 
—In short I shall begrudge no reasonable expense that 
will contribute to the improvement and neatness of 
my Farms;—for nothing pleases me better than to 
see them in good order, and everything trim, handsome 
and thriving about them;—nor anything hurts me 
more than to find them otherwise, and the tools and 
implements laying wherever they were last used, ex¬ 
posed to injuries from Rain, sun &ct.” 
Surely here, in the midst of this sort of activity 
